A happy Mike Sumrall Was in the Forrest County Courthouse Yesterday

[HadItUpToHere]

A very happy Mike Sumrall was in the Forrest County courthouse late yesterday. He was fresh off of leading the pack in the state auditor's race. I spoke with him and he was extremely happy of getting 185,000 + votes state wide or about 47% of the total votes. He was even happier he got those votes on only about $11,000.

All the state papers had picked mike to come in dead last and some local politcal folks had told him he would finish 4th in a 3 man race. Yet he lead the ticket and almost got the magic 50% to move on.

He was thanking all the folks he had worked with over the last 3 years as county admin and patting some of the local guys on their backs for their runs.

I think Forrest county and the city of Hattiesburg may have a friend in the auditor's office come January if mike continues to do as well.

[daisy]

Congratulations to Mike and :clap::clap::clap:.

I read someone --??/Sid Salter said he was the most qualified of all the candidates in that election.

[aaron]

Congratulations to Mr. Sumrall. Did someone say he was a member here?

[HadItUpToHere]

I understand he was

[aaron]

I understand he was

Thanks, no member name needed, just wanted to know.

[Guru]

He's a good guy, knows his business. I grew up with him and have known him all my life. I recommend him highly.

[Bob]

I was happy to see he did so well. After seeing the election results, he will be key to get rid of some of our local problems that have thier constintuents snowed. I hope the best for him. He really is the most qualified for the job. I'll be back to support him on the 28th.

[Guru]

I am still surprised at just how many people don't get out and vote. Talk it up, he and every other person running need the help.

[jmack]

Mike Sumrall is as good as gold. He is honest and would be a great State Auditor and isn't using this job as a stepping stone like others have done. It almost seems to good to be true that a man like Mike could get elected to such an important office. I would love to see everyone get out and support him financially and by word of mouth.

[TDaleBeavers]

I have to say Mike Sumrall's showing is the definite "feel good" story of the 2007 campaign. Here's a guy that spent about $3000 more than I did, and came very close to winning a three candidate primary without a runoff in a statewide race. I've also been amused to receive his campaign emails, as I am a known Republican.

That being said, I wish him the best. Sid Salter is correct in that he's the best qualfied Democratic candidate, and I wouldn't lose much sleep if he won in November.

Good luck Mike!

[Kitty]

I have to say Mike Sumrall's showing is the definite "feel good" story of the 2007 campaign. Here's a guy that spent about $3000 more than I did, and came very close to winning a three candidate primary without a runoff in a statewide race. I've also been amused to receive his campaign emails, as I am a known Republican.

That being said, I wish him the best. Sid Salter is correct in that he's the best qualfied Democratic candidate, and I wouldn't lose much sleep if he won in November.

Good luck Mike!

The state auditor race is a good example of one in which people should look at the individual and not his/her party affiliation.

[TDaleBeavers]

The state auditor race is a good example of one in which people should look at the individual and not his/her party affiliation.

I'm not disagreeing with you at all, Kitty. The only ways that I see partisanship would matter is if the potential auditor is going to use the office as a possible springboard for higher office (i.e. Lt. Governor or Governor) and then the person's philosophical positions on issues such as taxes, spending, and cultural issues would matter, or if the person would apply a double standard in the auditor's office -- harshly going after county/local officials of the other party, while turning a blind eye to bad acts of officials of his own party.

As to the latter scenario, I do not believe either Mike Sumrall or Stacey Pickering would engage in such. As to the former, I could certainly see Stacey Pickering running for an office higher than State Auditor (which to me is fine as a Republican), while I would agree Sumrall's motivation is to hold the office of Auditor.

[HadItUpToHere]

Why would anyone vote for a person not qualified to hold an office and knowing they want it mearly to spring board to a higher position. Even if he is in your party.

I heard mr pickering say on paul galo one morning that he was and would be a team player. He would work hand in hand with the rep gov and rep lt gov. A team player at state auditor is NOT what we need. We need an independent auditor that will audit reguardless of party. You get things like the beef plant when you have team players.

I think you should vote for the best candidate for the job. And I believe Mike is that. He's not in it to run for another office.

[jmb]

Congratulations, Mike! :clap:

[BlueDogDemocrat]

I Like Mike!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Guru]

My personal belief is that ALL political parties should be abolished and after that is done any person suggesting in any way that they carry a certain affiliation should not be allowed to seek office.
This has done nothing but hindered any true elections. There are simply people that get off track in their sympathies however misconstrued.
If you can't walk into the polls, vote for the person you truly believe will do the best job then we are all simply beating around the bush.
This would even allow a one shot voting election unless the two top candidates were within say less than 5% of each other.
It is illegal for you to vote your true sentiment at this time in the State of Mississippi.

[TDaleBeavers]

Why would anyone vote for a person not qualified to hold an office and knowing they want it mearly to spring board to a higher position. Even if he is in your party.

I heard mr pickering say on paul galo one morning that he was and would be a team player. He would work hand in hand with the rep gov and rep lt gov. A team player at state auditor is NOT what we need. We need an independent auditor that will audit reguardless of party. You get things like the beef plant when you have team players.

I think you should vote for the best candidate for the job. And I believe Mike is that. He's not in it to run for another office.

I didn't mean to suggest that Stacy Pickering is running for Auditor simply as a spring board to higher office. But, he is in his upper 30s and certainly 8 or 12 years down the road, it is not illogical that he would seek a higher office, just as Phil Bryant is now doing after serving as Auditor for the past 11 years. And, if he serves well, I don't have a problem with that. Ray Mabus "springboarded" to Governor in 1987 after serving just four years, and Ronnie Musgrove springboarded from the State Senate (after 8 years) to Lt. Governor and then "springboarded" to Governor four years after that.

The beef plant has blame to go around across the board. When the plant was approved the Governor was Ronnie Musgrove, a Democrat, and Lester Spell was then a Democrat. Phil Bryant, the State Auditor, was/is a Republican. Of course, most of the legislative leaders who pushed it (Tommy Reynolds, Billy McCoy, Steve "The Nissan of North Mississippi" Holland) were Democrats as well. I'm not sure "teamwork" as you described it resulted in the beef plant -- or that an Auditor Pickering would anymore lead to something like it than an Auditor Sumrall would.

That being said, if Mike Sumrall goes on to win the Democratic primary in a little over two weeks, the voters will have two good choices in November to choose from.

[Kitty]

Sid Salter's column in today's C-L (http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070812/COL0412/708120328/1171/OPINION)

[HadItUpToHere]

Man that's a strong article for Mike.

If word like that keeps getting out, we may just have us a USM grad as state auditor that's from the Hattiesburg area.

:clap: